Intel Core i9-14900KS
2024Type
CPUPrice
$699 USIntel's Core i9-14900KS Specs & Overview
The Intel Core i9-14900KS CPU is going to be a beast of a desktop chip in all regards. It will offer the highest clock speeds ever seen on a desktop CPU to date along with the highest power ratings that we have seen on a chip designed for a mainstream platform. The CPU is designed to cater to pure enthusiasts who are looking for the best binned dies to achieve the fastest overclocking results and performance possible.
- Up to 6.2 GHz max turbo frequency with Intel® Thermal Velocity Boost – the fastest desktop processor speeds available on the market.
- Twenty-four cores (eight performance cores and 16 efficient cores), 32 threads, 150-watt processor base power, 36MB Intel Smart Cache, and 20 PCIe lanes (16 PCIe 5.0 and four PCIe 4.0 lanes).
- Expanded Intel APO support for the i9-14900KS – providing up to 11% performance uplift in supported titles4. Intel is continuing to expand support for APO, which now includes 14 gaming titles.
- Support for up to 192GB of DDR5 5600 mega transfers per second (MT/s) or DDR4 3200 MT/s memory.
- Compatibility with Z790 and Z690 motherboards, with the latest BIOS, recommended for the best gaming and content creation experience.
Starting with the specifications, the Intel Core i9-14900KS is very similar to the Core i9-14900K & Core i9-13900KS/13900K chips that came before it. It features a total of 8 P-Cores and 16 E-Cores, a cumulation of 24 cores and 32 threads. The chip comes equipped with 32 MB of L2 cache & 36 MB of L3 cache. The clock frequencies are rated at 3.2 GHz base, a boost clock of 6.2 GHz for the P and 4.5 GHz for the E-Cores. The CPU also incorporates the Intel UHD Graphics 770 chip and offers 20 PCIe lanes with support for DDR5-5600/DDR4-3200 memory in up to 192 GB capacities (up to 256 GB with the latest BIOS).
As for the power draw, the Intel Core i9-14900KS CPU has a base power rating of 150W which is up to 253W (PL2) and multi-threaded workloads will see the chip exceed the 400W barrier as seen in early tests. The CPU will be priced at $699 US which is the same as the MSRP of Core i9-13900KS chips.
In terms of performance, Intel has compared the Core i9-14900KS against a range of AMD Ryzen 7000 offerings including the 7950X3D, 7950X, and the 7800X3D along with its 13900KS. The Core i9-14900KS offers up to 15% better gaming performance than the 13900KS and up to a 26% lead over the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D.
The AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D is shown to be very competitive against the Core i9-14900KS given its price point in Intel's benchmarks but from a multi-threaded stand-point, the 14900KS should be a very powerful solution. It's up to 16% faster in multi-threaded apps versus the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X 16-core CPU.
In addition to the flagship CPU, Intel is also announcing its latest APO (Application Optimization) games with 12 new verified titles which include:
- Red Dead Redemption 2
- Final Fantasy XIV
- Marvel's Guardians of The Galaxy
- Watch Dogs: Legion
- World of Tanks
- World of Warcraft
- Dirt 5
- F1 22
- Dream Three Kingdoms 2
- Serious Sam 4 (VLK)
- Strange Brigade (VLK)
- World War Z
APO optimized the CPU so that games can take full advantage of the E-Cores onboard the chip for faster processing, enabling up to double-digit performance gains. The Intel Core i9-14900KS will be available now from leading retailers.
Intel 14th Gen CPUs Official Performance Versus The Competition
In terms of performance, Intel is claiming up to 23% performance gain and a 2.5% average gain for the Core i9-14900K CPU over the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D across several games at 1080P High. Intel goes on ahead to compare the 14900K against the Ryzen 9 7950X and the Ryzen 7 7800X3D where the chip seems to offer similar or better performance in both average FPS and 99th percentile lows however one major metric that isn't shown here is the gaming power efficiency which we know for certain is going to be strong on the Ryzen side.
Intel's 14th Gen CPUs are mostly going the brute force route by upping the clock speeds and that is going to result in more power draw and higher thermals than the competition since there are no major architectural or process node changes involved over the existing 13th Gen chips.
The blue team also compares the content creation performance across various applications which show the Core i9-14900K leading against the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X and the Core i7-14700K nearing it in performance in multiple workloads. The Core i7-14700K also delivers up to 63% uplifts over the Core i7-12700K so it does seem to be a worthy upgrade over the 12th Gen i7 chips. Even i7-13700K owners would see a nice boost with the 14700K so if you were planning to buy the 13700K, you'd much rather buy the 14700K now since they'll both be priced the same.
Intel 14th gen Raptor Lake Refresh CPU Specs & Prices (Official):
| CPU Name | Cores | Threads | Base Clock | Boost Clock | L2 / L3 Cache | TDP (PL1) / (PL2) | Price (RCP at Launch) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Core i9-14900K | 8+16 (24) | 32 | 3.2 GHz | 6.0 GHz | 32 / 36 MB | 125W / 253W | $589 US |
| Core i9-13900K | 8+16 (24) | 32 | 3.0 GHz | 5.8 GHz | 32 / 36 MB | 125W / 253W | $589 US |
| Core i9-12900K | 8+8 (16) | 24 | 3.2 GHz | 5.2 GHz | 14 / 30 MB | 125W / 241W | $648 US |
| Core i9-14900KF | 8+16 (24) | 32 | 3.2 GHz | 6.0 GHz | 32 / 36 MB | 125W / 253W | $564 US |
| Core i9-13900KF | 8+16 (24) | 32 | 3.0 GHz | 5.8 GHz | 32 / 36 MB | 125W / 253W | $564 US |
| Core i9-12900KF | 8+8 (16) | 24 | 3.2 GHz | 5.2 GHz | 14 / 30 MB | 125W / 241W | $620 US |
| Core i7-14700K | 8+12 (20) | 28 | 3.4 GHz | 5.6 GHz | 28 / 33 MB | 125W / 253W | $409 US |
| Core i7-13700K | 8+8 (16) | 24 | 3.4 GHz | 5.4 GHz | 24 / 30 MB | 125W / 253W | $409 US |
| Core i7-12700K | 8+4 (12) | 20 | 3.6 GHz | 5.0 GHz | 12 / 25 MB | 125W / 190W | $450 US |
| Core i7-14700KF | 8+12 (20) | 28 | 3.4 GHz | 5.6 GHz | 28 / 33 MB | 125W / 253W | $384 US |
| Core i7-13700KF | 8+8 (16) | 24 | 3.4 GHz | 5.4 GHz | 24 / 30 MB | 125W / 253W | $384 US |
| Core i7-12700KF | 8+4 (12) | 20 | 3.6 GHz | 5.0 GHz | 12 / 25 MB | 125W / 190W | $422 US |
| Core i5-14600K | 6+8 (14) | 20 | 3.5 GHz | 5.3 GHz | 20 / 24 MB | 125W / 181W | $319 US |
| Core i5-13600K | 6+8 (14) | 20 | 3.5 GHz | 5.3 GHz | 20 / 24 MB | 125W / 181W | $319 US |
| Core i5-12600K | 6+4 (10) | 16 | 3.7 GHz | 4.9 GHz | 9.5 / 20 MB | 125W / 150W | $318 US |
| Core i5-14600KF | 6+8 (14) | 20 | 3.5 GHz | 5.3 GHz | 20 / 24 MB | 125W / 181W | $294 US |
| Core i5-13600KF | 6+8 (14) | 20 | 3.5 GHz | 5.3 GHz | 20 / 24 MB | 125W / 181W | $294 US |
| Core i5-12600KF | 6+4 (10) | 16 | 3.7 GHz | 4.9 GHz | 9.5 / 20 MB | 125W / 150W | $290 US |
Contents
You can find additional information about our hardware review process and ethics policy here.
About the author: A Software Engineer by training and a PC enthusiast by passion, Hassan Mujtaba serves as Wccftech's Senior Editor for hardware section. With years of experience in the industry, he specializes in deep-dive technical analysis of next-generation CPU and GPU architectures, motherboards, and cooling solutions. His work involves not only breaking news on upcoming technologies but also extensive hands-on reviews and benchmarking.
Follow Wccftech on Google to get more of our news coverage in your feeds.
